Players don't want bye just before finals

AFL: The AFL players' association says 80% of footballers would prefer two in-season byes after league bosses slated a return for the round 23 bye trialled last season.

AFLPA chief executive Paul Marsh said the mid-season byes would help combat the effects of burn-out and that if the late rest was brought back, players would be disappointed.

"Should this (pre-finals bye) eventuate, it would be an extremely unsatisfactory outcome for the players, who have stressed the importance of these rest periods given the demands of the modern game,” he said in a statement yesterday.

New Melbourne recruit Jordan Lewis said it made more sense to have the two breaks earlier in the campaign.

"If there's going to be two byes, why not have it during the season so then when everything's coming into the finals, everything just flows on,” he said.